Chapter 440: Chapter 429: The Village Top Scorer
"Knock knock!" The Ye Family was having dinner when someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
"You all eat, I’ll go check." Ye Qiu put down his chopsticks and said, curious about who would knock at this hour.
"Wang Zhaoxing?"
"Brother Ye Qiu." The moment he opened the door, he seemed somewhat disappointed to see the visitor.
Ye Qiu keenly perceived his emotion and raised an eyebrow subtly, "What’s the matter?"
Wang Zhaoxing hesitated for a moment, then peeked behind Ye Qiu before speaking sheepishly, "Is Xiuya here?"
"You need her for something?" Ye Qiu probed, "I remember you’re supposed to be studying at the academy, right? You’ve been coming back rather frequently lately!"
"I..."
"Big brother, who is it?" Seeing that there was no movement outside and Ye Qiu hadn’t come back to eat, Xiuya simply put down her chopsticks as well to take a look.
Ye Qiu looked at Wang Zhaoxing, and sure enough, he saw his eyes light up the moment he laid eyes on Xiuya. Aha, so this kid’s mind is on this, huh!
"It’s nothing. Go back to your meal," Ye Qiu said as he blocked Wang Zhaoxing’s view of Xiuya.
"Oh, then brother, you should come back in quickly too, otherwise the food will get cold."
"Mm."
"Eh?" Wang Zhaoxing called out, but alas, Xiuya did not hear.
Ye Qiu’s gaze suddenly sharpens, and he says to Wang Zhaoxing: "Brother Wang, since there’s nothing important, you should head back first."
Seeing that Ye Qiu was about to close the door, Wang Zhaoxing hurriedly said, "I... I do have something."
"What is it?" Ye Qiu asked with a quite cold demeanor.
Wang Zhaoxing finally seemed to come to his senses, not looking around aimlessly anymore but instead directly offered what he had in his hand: "Last time I saw that Sister Xiuya liked flowers, so I brought some from the county."
Ye Qiu didn’t accept them, bluntly refusing: "We cannot accept an unearned reward. Brother Wang should take it back." Having said that, he closed the door.
"Oh, why are you coming back with flowers still in hand!" Wang Po saw her grandson returning crestfallen and understood what had happened. She couldn’t blame Qiu for being so wary – even if Xiuya grew up to be very beautiful, she’s only eleven years old and still in mourning. Getting close to a man at this time could easily stir up idle gossip.
Thence, she summoned her grandson to the room, intending to have a serious heart-to-heart with him. When they emerged, Wang Zhaoxing had lost his previous dejection, appearing much more mature, and his diligence in his studies also increased significantly.
Time whisked by swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years had passed. During this period, the new variety of roses cultivated by Xiutong received widespread praise. The affluential families in the county vied for the honor of planting two of these new roses in their yards, with particularly beautiful and abundant blooming varieties like Golden Canary and Dragonfly becoming exceedingly difficult to obtain.
Ye Qiu, after initially connecting Boss Liu from the Pear Garden to the business, did not involve himself any further; Xiuya and Xiutong managed all the trading affairs. Thanks to this revenue stream, the Ye Family even surpassed the village chief’s family to become the wealthiest household in the village.
With money in hand, under the strong insistence of Xiuya and Xiutong, Ye Qiu returned to the academy to continue his studies and was even provided with an Attendant Student, while the family hired two older women for cleaning and cooking and three little maids.
As the saying goes, wealth attracts attention, and though the villagers sympathized with the Ye Family for being orphaned, they soon harbored other intentions upon seeing the family’s success.
The first issue concerned the roses—the Ye Family’s greenhouse had been targeted by thieves more than once. Following close behind were marriage prospects for Xiuya and Xiutong.
Now, with only a few months left of the mourning period, and Xiuya already fourteen and having grown even more graceful with the nurture of Space Water, coupled with her fondness for reading, she possessed the beauty and elegance of a refined lady, even though she was from the countryside. Not to mention the Ye Family’s assets—as Ye Qiu’s affection for his three sisters was evident to all, and the dowries were unlikely to be meager. Furthermore, the knowledge of cultivating these roses was akin to marrying a golden Buddha; naturally, many sought after Xiuya’s hand in marriage.
Beyond Xiuya, Xiutong too attracted much attention. At twelve years old, she was considered at a marriageable age in this world, despite Ye Qiu still viewing her as a child. Since she was usually the face of the Ye Family’s rose enterprise, the enthusiasm for her marriage prospects was even higher than for her older sister, Xiuya.
Of course, Ye Qiu, being the eldest and the heir to the Ye Family, did not escape attention either. A small dowry would be enough for his sisters’ marriages, and in the future, all the property would be his. Plus, he already held the title of child student and was handsome and elegant. Having shown responsibility from the time his parents passed, who wouldn’t value such a son-in-law? And he might end up like Wang Zhaoxing, becoming a top scorer one day!
What made Ye Qiu speechless was not just outsiders’ enthusiasm but also that of his two younger sisters, who were so keen on him marrying soon, constantly urging him to welcome a sister-in-law home. Only Little Ya, Xiuying, took his side, reluctant to share her brother’s affection with a future sister-in-law.
"It’s our Little Ya who truly cares for Brother." Ye Qiu gave Little Ya’s head a firm rub, not letting go until she puffed up her cheeks.
Among the three sisters, if the eldest, Xiuya, was genteel and composed, and the second, Xiutong, was capable and shrewd, then Little Ya’s talent in cuisine was truly unmatched. Whether the kitchen woman overdid the oil or overcooked the dish, she could tell just by the smell, no need to taste it. And thanks to her discerning palate, over the past couple of years, Ye Qiu and the family also enjoyed culinary delights.
Ye Qiu did not plan to confine Little Ya to kitchen duties; he merely restricted her from hands-on work, having her direct the older women instead. He intended to open a restaurant for her in a couple of years, confident that with her nose and palate, the business would thrive.
"Oh, Qiu is at home studying today!" Mrs. Wang entered, finding her post-separation days not as leisurely as she had imagined.
Although the old residence was now hers and her husband’s, Ye Baomin still lived there, and the village chief’s position was yet to be vacated for her husband Ye Ming, so they continued to defer to Ye Baomin’s authority.
Mrs. Xiao Wang, due to the separation affair, had disagreements with her and whispered complaints into her son Ye Wei’s ears, so despite growing up, he still had not become a Government Official. Ye Wei was cunning; he did not outright reject helping but claimed he didn’t know what to do after retiring, so he bribed higher officials to stay in his position.
The security in the small county town was decent, so there wasn’t a strict retirement age like in Dazhou Prefecture, and this made Mrs. Wang anxious. If Ye Laosan didn’t step down, how could her son rise to power? In a couple more years, her son would be too old, and even if he took the position, he wouldn’t have many years left to serve.
Mrs. Wang harbored intense resentment towards Mrs. Xiao Wang, yet still found herself obliged to send gifts to the county town, with no small amount of silver having slipped through her hands over the past two years.
Even though her family received a larger share of the land, Ye Ming wasn’t cut out for farming. The land had previously been tended by Ye Laoer and his wife, who had grown accustomed to reaping the benefits without laboring, so the productivity of their twenty acres of land deteriorated year by year, earning them harsh scolding from Ye Baomin.
To secure her status at home, Mrs. Wang set her sights on the Ye siblings. Whether marrying off a niece or bringing in a new daughter-in-law, she knew her role as the mediator would be valued.